THE
DEAD TOWNS
OF
GEORGIA;
BY
CHARLES C. JONES, JR.
_FOR HERE HAVE WE NO CONTINUING CITY._
Heb: xiii. 14
SAVANNAH:
MORNING NEWS STEAM PRINTING HOUSE.
1878.
TO
GEORGE WYMBERLEY-JONES DERENNE, ESQ.,
OF SAVANNAH,
WHOSE INTELLIGENT RESEARCH, CULTIVATED TASTE, AND AMPLE FORTUNE
HAVE BEEN SO GENEROUSLY ENLISTED IN RESCUING FROM OBLIVION THE
EARLY MEMORIES OF GEORGIA,
THESE SKETCHES ARE RESPECTFULLY AND CORDIALLY INSCRIBED.
PREFATORY NOTE.
If it be praiseworthy in their descendants to erect monuments in honor of
the illustrious dead, and to perpetuate in history the lives and acts of
those who gave shape to the past and encouragement to the future, surely
it will not be deemed inappropriate to gather up the fragmentary memories
of towns once vital and influential within our borders, but now covered
with the mantle of decay, without succession, and wholly silent amid the
voices of the present.
Against the miasmatic influences of the swamps, Spanish perils, the
hostility of the Aborigines, and the poverty and sometimes narrow
mindedness of the Trust, did the Colonists grievously struggle in
asserting their dominion over the untamed lands from the Savannah to the
Alatamaha. Nothing indicates so surely the vicissitudes and the mistakes
encountered during that primal period of development, as the DEAD TOWNS
OF GEORGIA. From each comes in turn the whisper of hope, the sound of the
battle with nature for life and comfort, the sad strain of disappointment,
and then the silence of nothingness.
Of the chosen seats and characteristics of the primitive peoples who
inhabited this territory prior to the advent of the European we have
elsewhere spoken.[1]
Of the indications of a foreign occupancy antedating the colonization
under Oglethorpe, such, for example, as those observed by DeBrahm[2]
on Demetrius’ island, and a few others which might be mentioned,—we
refrain from writing, because the theories explanatory of their origin,
possession, and abandonment, are so nebulous as to seem incapable of
satisfactory solution.
In narrating the traditions and grouping the almost obsolete memories
of these deserted villages we have endeavored to revive them, as far as
practicable, in the language of those to whom we are indebted for their
transmission.
CHARLES C. JONES, JR.
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, February 1st, 1878.
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
I. OLD AND NEW EBENEZER, 11
II. FREDERICA, 45
III. ABERCORN, 137
IV. SUNBURY, 141
V. HARDWICK, 224
VI. PETERSBURG, JACKSONBOROUGH, &C., 233
VII. MISCELLANEOUS TOWNS, PLANTATIONS, &C., 245
ILLUSTRATIONS.
1. PLAN OF NEW EBENEZER.
2. PLAN OF FREDERICA.
3. PLAN OF SUNBURY.
4. PLAN OF FORT MORRIS.
5. OUTLINE OF HARDWICK.
I.
OLD AND NEW EBENEZER.
[Illustration: _Plan of the Town EBENEZER and its Fort_
_J. Bien, Photo. Lith. N. Y._]
During the four years commencing in 1729 and ending in 1732, more than
thirty thousand Saltzburgers, impelled by the fierce persecutions of
Leopold, abandoned their homes in the broad valley of the Salza and sought
refuge in Prussia, Holland, and England, where their past sufferings and
present wants enlisted substantial sympathy and relief from Protestant
communities. Persuaded by the “Society for the Propagation of Christian
Knowledge,” and acting upon the invitation of the Trustees of the Colony
of Georgia,—who engaged not only to advance the funds necessary to defray
the expenses of the journey and purchase the requisite sea-stores, but
also to allot to each emigrant on his arrival in Georgia fifty acres
of land in fee, and provisions sufficient to maintain himself and
family until such land could be made available for support,—forty-two
Saltzburgers, with their wives and children,—numbering in all
seventy-eight souls,—set out from the town of Berchtolsgaden and its
vicinity for Rotterdam, whence they were to be transported free of charge
to Dover, England. At Rotterdam they were joined by their chosen religious
teachers, the Reverend John Martin Bolzius and the Reverend Israel
Christian Gronau. The oath of loyalty having been administered to them at
Dover by the Trustees, these pious, industrious, and honest emigrants,
on the 28th of December, 1733, set sail in the ship Purisburg and, after
a tedious and perilous passage, reached Charlestown, South Carolina, in
safety. Mr. Oglethorpe, chancing to be there at the time, arranged that
the Saltzburgers should proceed without delay to Savannah. The Savannah
river was entered by them on the 10th of March, 1734. It was _Reminiscere_
Sunday, according to the Lutheran calendar;—the gospel of the day being
“Our Blessed Saviour came to the Borders of the Heathen after He had been
persecuted in His own Country.” “Lying in fine and calm weather, under the
Shore of our beloved _Georgia_, where we heard the Birds sing melodiously,
every Body in the ship was joyful.” So wrote the Reverend Mr. Bolzius, the
faithful attendant and spiritual guide of this Protestant band. He tells
us also, that two days afterwards, when the ship arrived at the place
of landing, “almost all the Inhabitants of the Town of _Savannah_ were
gather’d together; they fired off some Cannons, and cried Huzzah! which
was answer’d by our Sailors, and other _English_ People in our Ship in the
same manner. Some of us were immediately fetch’d on Shore in a Boat, and
carried about the City, into the woods, and the new Garden belonging to
the Trustees. In the meantime a very good Dinner was prepared for us: And
the _Saltzburgers_, who had yet fresh Meat in the Ship, when they came on
shore, they got very good and wholesome _English_ strong Beer. And besides
the Inhabitants shewing them a great deal of Kindness, and the Country
pleasing them, they were full of Joy and praised God for it.”[3]
Leaving his people comfortably located in tents, and in the hospitable
care of the Colonists at Savannah, Mr. VonReck set out on horseback with
Mr. Oglethorpe to take a view of the country and select a spot where the
Saltzburgers might form their settlement. At nine o’clock on the morning
of the 17th of March they reached the place designated as the future
home of the emigrants. It was about four miles below the present town of
Springfield, in Effingham County, sterile and unattractive. To the eye
of the Commissary, however, tired of the sea and weary of persecutions,
it appeared a blessed spot, redolent of sweet hope, bright promise, and
charming repose. Hear his description: “The Lands are inclosed between
two Rivers, which fall into the _Savannah_. The _Saltzburg_ Town is to
be built near the largest, which is called _Ebenezer_,[4] in Remembrance
that God has brought us hither; and is navigable, being twelve Foot deep.
A little Rivulet, whose Water is as clear as Crystal, glides by the Town;
another runs through it, and both fall into the _Ebenezer_. The Woods
here are not so thick as in other Places. The sweet Zephyrs preserve a
delicious coolness notwithstanding the scorching Beams of the Sun. There
are very fine Meadows, in which a great Quantity of Hay might be made
with very little Pains: there are also Hillocks, very fit for Vines. The
Cedar, Walnut, Pine, Cypress and Oak make the greatest part of the Woods.
There is found in them a great Quantity of Myrtle Trees out of which they
extract, by boiling the Berries, a green Wax, very proper to make Candles
with. There is much Sassafras, and a great Quantity of those Herbs of
which Indigo is made, and Abundance of _China_ Roots. The Earth is so
fertile that it will bring forth anything that can be sown or planted in
it; whether Fruits, Herbs, or Trees. There are wild Vines, which run up
to the Tops of the tallest Trees; and the Country is so good that one
may ride full gallop 20 or 30 miles an end. As to Game, here are Eagles,
Wild-Turkies, Roe-Bucks, Wild-Goats, Stags, Wild-Cows, Horses, Hares,
Partridges, and Buffaloes.”[5] Upon the return of Mr. Oglethorpe and the
Commissary to Savannah, nine able bodied Saltzburgers were immediately
dispatched, by the way of Abercorn, to Ebenezer, to cut down trees and
erect shelters for the Colonists. On the 7th of April the rest of the
emigrants arrived, and, with the blessing of the good Mr. Bolzius, entered
at once upon the task of clearing land, constructing bridges, building
shanties, and preparing a road-way to Abercorn. Wild honey found in a
hollow tree greatly refreshed them, and parrots and partridges made them
“a very good dish.” Upon the sandy soil they fixed their hopes for a
generous yield of peas and potatoes. To the “black, fat, and heavy” land
they looked for all sorts of corn; and from the clayey soil they purposed
manufacturing bricks and earthen ware. On the 1st of May lots were drawn
upon which houses were to be erected in the town of Ebenezer. The day
following, the hearts of the people were rejoiced by the coming of ten
cows and calves,—sent as a present from the Magistrates of Savannah in
obedience to Mr. Oglethorpe’s order. Ten casks “full of all Sorts of
Seeds” arriving from Savannah, set these pious peoples to praising God
for all His loving kindnesses. Commiserating their poverty, the Indians
gave them deer, and their English neighbors taught them how to brew a sort
of beer made of molasses, sassafras, and pine tops. Poor Lackner dying,
by common consent the little money he left was made the “Beginning of a
Box for the Poor.” The repeated thunderstorms and hard rains penetrated
through the rude huts and greatly incommoded the settlers. The water
disagreed with them, causing serious affections of the bowels, until they
found a brook, springing from a little hill, which proved both palatable
and wholesome. By appointment, Monday the 13th of May was observed by the
congregation as a season of Thanksgiving.
Depending entirely upon the charity of the Trustees for supplies of sorts,
and having but few mechanics among them, these Saltzburgers labored under
great disadvantages in building their little town in the depths of the
woods, and surrounding themselves with fields and gardens. Patient of
toil, however, and accustomed to work, they cut and delved away, day
by day, rejoicing in their freedom, blessing the Giver of all good for
His mercies, and observing the rules of honesty, morality, and piety,
for which their sect had been so long distinguished. Communication with
Savannah was maintained by way of Abercorn; to which place supplies were
transported by water.
Early in 1735 the settlement was materially strengthened and encouraged by
the arrival of fifty-seven more emigrants under the conduct of Mr. Vatt.
Among the new-comers were several mechanics whose knowledge, industry,
and skill were at once applied to hewing timber, splitting shingles, and
sawing boards, to the manifest improvement of the dwellings in Ebenezer.
About a year afterwards occurred what is known as the _great embarcation_.
Including some eighty Germans from the city of Ratisbon, under the control
of Baron VonReck and Captain Hermsdorf, twenty-seven Moravians under the
care of the Rev’d David Nitschman, the Rev’d John and Charles Wesley, and
the Rev’d Mr. Ingham,—Missionaries to the Indians,—and a number of poor
English families, this accession to the Colony of Georgia aggregated some
two hundred and twenty-seven persons, of whom two hundred and two were
conveyed upon the Trust’s account. Francis Moore was appointed keeper of
the stores. Oglethorpe in person accompanied the Colonists, and exercised
a fatherly care over them during the voyage. They were transported in the
Symond of 220 tons,—Capt. Joseph Cornish,—and the London Merchant, of like
burthen,—Capt. John Thomas.[6] During the voyage the German Dissenters
“sung psalms and served God in their own way.” Turnips, carrots, potatoes,
and onions, issued with the salt provisions, prevented scurvy. In order
to promote comfort and good order, the ships had been divided into
cabins, with gangways between them, in which the emigrants were disposed
according to families. The single men were located by themselves. Weather
permitting, the vessels were cleaned between decks and washed with vinegar
to keep them sweet. Constables were appointed “to prevent any disorders,”
and so admirably was discipline preserved, that there was no occasion for
punishment except in the case of a boy, “who was whipped for stealing of
turnips.” The men were exercised with small arms, and instructed by Mr.
Oglethorpe in the duties which would devolve upon them as free-holders
in the new settlement. To the women were given thread, worsted, and
knitting needles; and they were required to employ “their leisure time in
making Stockings and Caps for their Family, or in mending their Cloaths
and Linnen.” In this sensible way were matters ordered on these emigrant
ships, and the colonists, during a protracted voyage, prepared for lives
of industry in their new homes.
On the 5th of February, 1736, these ships, with the first of the flood,
were carried over Tybee bar and found safe anchorage within. The emigrants
were temporarily landed on Peeper island, where they dug a well and washed
their clothes. It was Mr. Oglethorpe’s purpose to send most of these
Saltzburgers to Frederica that they might assist in the development of
that town and the construction of its fortifications. Desiring the benefit
of their ministers, not wishing to divide their congregation, and being
reluctant to go to the Southward where “they apprehended blows,”—fighting
being “against their religion,”—they persuaded Mr. Oglethorpe to permit
them to join their countrymen at Ebenezer, whither they accordingly went
some days afterwards and were heartily welcomed. It will be remembered,
however, that Captain Hermsdorf, with his little company, assured Mr.
Oglethorpe “that he would never forsake him, but serve with the English
to the last.” His offer was accepted, and on the 16th he set out with Mr.
Oglethorpe for Frederica.
By this second accession the population of Ebenezer was increased so that
it numbered in all some two hundred souls. Contentment and prosperity
did not obtain in the town. In the fertility of the soil the inhabitants
had encountered disappointment. Much sickness prevailed, and they were
oppressed with the isolated character of their location. The creek upon
which the town was situated was uncertain in volume, serpentine, and
difficult of navigation. Although the distance from Old Ebenezer to the
Savannah river by land did not exceed six miles, by following this,
the only outlet by water, twenty-five miles must be passed before its
confluence could be reached.[7]
Moved by these and other depressing considerations, the Reverend Messrs.
Bolzius and Gronau visited Savannah at the instance of their flock, and
conferred with Mr. Oglethorpe as to the propriety of changing the location
of the town. Moore says the Saltzburgers at Ebenezer were so discontented
that they “demanded to leave their old Town, and to settle upon the Lands
which the _Indians_ had reserved for their own Use.”[8]
Having patiently listened to the request, Mr. Oglethorpe, on the 9th
of February, 1736, set out with the Saltzburger ministers and several
gentlemen for Ebenezer, to make a personal inspection of the situation
and satisfy himself with regard to the expediency of the removal. He
was received with every mark of consideration, and proceeded at once to
consider the causes which induced the inhabitants to desire a change.
Admitting that the existing “dissatisfaction was not groundless, and
that there were many embarrassments connected with their situation,” he
nevertheless endeavored to dissuade them from their purpose by reminding
them that the labor already expended in clearing their lands, building
houses, and constructing roads would, upon removal, be almost wholly lost.
The hardships incident upon forming an entirely new settlement were urged
upon their serious consideration. He also assured them that in clearing
the forests, and in bringing the lands on the bank of the Savannah river
under cultivation they would encounter the same diseases which afflicted
them in their present location. He concluded, however, by assuring them
that if they were resolved upon making the change he would not forbid it,
but would assist them, as far as practicable, in compassing their design.
After this conference, and upon Mr. Oglethorpe’s return to Savannah,
the question of a change of location was again considered by the
Saltzburgers, who resolved among themselves that a removal was essential
to the prosperity of their colony.[9] Acting upon this determination the
community, without delay, set about migrating to the site selected for
the new town. This was on a high ridge, near the Savannah river, called
“Red Bluff” from the peculiar color of the soil. It received the name of
New Ebenezer; and, to the simple-minded Germans, oppressed by poverty
and saddened by the disappointments of the past, seemed to offer future
happiness and much coveted prosperity. The labor of removal appears
to have been compassed within less than two years. In June, 1738, Old
Ebenezer[10] had degenerated into a cow-pen, where Joseph Barker resided
and “had the care of the Trust’s Cattle.” William Stephens gives us a
pitiable view of the abandoned spot when he visited it on the 26th of
that month:—Indian traders, returning from Savannah, lodging for the night
with Barker, who was unable to give due account of the cattle under his
charge, and a servant, Sommers, moving about with “the Small-Pox out full
upon him.”[11] Thus early did “Old Ebenezer” take its silent place among
the lost towns of Georgia. Its life of trials and sorrow, of ill-founded
hope and sure disappointment, was measured by scarcely more than two
years, and its frail memories were speedily lost amid the sighs and the
shadows of the monotonous pines which environed the place.
The situation of the new Town, Mr. Strobel says, was quite romantic. “On
the east lay the Savannah with its broad, smooth surface and its every
varying and beautiful scenery. On the south was a stream, then called
Little Creek, but now known as Lockner’s Creek, and a large lake called
‘Neidlinger’s Sea;’ while to the north, not very distant from the town,
was to be seen their old acquaintance, Ebenezer Creek, sluggishly winding
its way to mingle with the waters of the Savannah. The surrounding country
was gently undulating and covered with a fine growth of forest trees,
while the jessamine, the woodbine and the beautiful azalia, with its
variety of gaudy colors, added a peculiar richness to the picturesque
scene. But unfortunately for the permanent prosperity of the town, it was
surrounded on three sides by low swamps which were subject to periodical
inundation, and consequently generated a poisonous miasma prejudicial to
the health of the inhabitants.”[12]
The plan adopted in laying out the town was prescribed by General
Oglethorpe, and closely resembles that of Savannah;—the size of the
lots and the width of the streets and lanes being in each case quite
similar. To John Gerar, William DeBrahm, his Majesty’s Surveyor General
for the Southern District of North America, who in 1757 erected a fort at
Ebenezer, are we indebted for an accurate plan of that town.[13] As the
village increased, this plan was extended;—its distinctive characteristics
being retained. From contemporaneous notices we learn that New Ebenezer,
within a short time after its settlement, gave manifest token of
substantial growth and prosperity. The houses there erected were larger
and more comfortable than those which had been built in the old town.
Gardens and farms were cleared, enclosed, and brought under creditable
cultivation, and the sedate, religious inhabitants enjoyed the fruits of
their industry and economy.
Funds received from Germany for that purpose were employed in the erection
of an Orphan House, in which, for lack of a Church, the community
worshipped for several years.
We presume the account of the condition of Ebenezer in 1738-9, furnished
by Benjamin Martyn,[14] is as interesting and reliable as any that can
be suggested. It is as follows: “Fifteen miles from _Purysburg_ on the
_Georgia_ side, is _Ebenezer_, where the _Saltzburghers_ are situated;
their Houses are neat, and regularly set out in Streets, and the whole
Œconomy of their town, under the Influence of their Ministers, Mess.
_Bolzius_ and _Gronau_, is very exemplary. For the Benefit of their
Milch Cattle, a Herdsman is appointed to attend them in the Woods all
the Day, and bring them Home in the Evening. Their Stock of out-lying
Cattle is also under the Care of two other Herdsmen, who attend them in
their Feeding in the Day, and drive them into Cow-Pens at night. This
secures the Owners from any Loss, and the Herdsmen are paid by a small
Contribution among the People. These are very industrious, and subsist
comfortably by their Labour. Though there is no regular Court of Justice,
as they live in Sobriety, they maintain great Order and Decency. In case
of any Differences, the Minister calls three or four of the most prudent
Elders together, who in a summary Way hear and determine as they think
just, and the Parties always acquiesce with Content in their Judgment.
They are very regular in their public Worship, which is on Week-Days in
the Evening after their Work; and in the Forenoon and Evening on Sundays.
They have built a large and convenient House for the Reception of Orphans,
and other poor Children, who are maintained by Benefactions among the
People, are well taken Care of and taught to work according as their Age
and Ability will permit. The Number computed by Mr. _Bolzius_ in _June,
1738_, whereof his Congregation consisted, was one hundred forty-six, and
some more have since been settled among them. They are all in general
so well pleased with their condition, that not one of their People has
abandoned the Settlement.”
General Oglethorpe received a letter, dated Ebenezer, March 13, 1739,
signed by forty-nine men of the Saltzburgers and verified by their
Ministers, in which they assured him that they were well settled and
pleased with the climate and condition of the country; that although the
season was hotter than that of their native land, having become accustomed
to it, they found it tolerable and convenient for working people; and that
their custom was to commence their out-door labor early in the morning
and continue it until ten o’clock; resuming it again from three in the
afternoon until sun-set. During the heated term of mid-day, matters within
their houses engaged their attention. The General was also informed that
they had practically demonstrated the falsity of the tale told them on
their arrival that rice could be cultivated only by negroes. “We laugh at
such a Talking,”—so they wrote, “seeing that several People of us have
had, in last Harvest, a greater Crop of Rice than they wanted for their
own Consumption. Of Corn, Pease, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Cabbage, &c., we
had such a good Quantity that many Bushels are sold, and much was spent
in feeding Cows, Calves and Hogs.” The letter concludes with an earnest
petition that negroes should be excluded from their town and neighborhood,
alleging as a reason that their houses and gardens would be robbed by
them, and that, “besides other great inconveniences, white people were in
danger of life from them.”[15]
Of humble origin and moderate education, of primitive habits, accustomed
to labor, free from covetousness and ambition, temperate, industrious,
frugal and orderly, solicitous for the education of their children and
the maintenance of the needy and the orphan, meddling not in the affairs
of their neighbors, acknowledging allegiance to the Trustees and the
King of England, maintaining direct connection with the Lutheran Church
in Germany, and submitting without question to the decisions of their
ministers and elders in all matters, whether of a civil or ecclesiastical
nature, engaging in no pursuits save of an agricultural or a mechanical
character, and little given either to excitement or wandering, these
Saltzburgers for years preserved the integrity of their community and
their religion, and secured for themselves a comfortable existence. As
early as 1738 the Saltzburgers at Ebenezer made some limited experiment in
growing cotton and were much encouraged;—the yield being abundant, and of
an excellent quality. The Trustees, however, having fixed their hopes upon
silk and wine, the cultivation of this plant was not countenanced.[16]
It was estimated by Mr. Benjamin Martyn, Secretary of the Trustees, that
up to the year 1741, not less than twelve hundred German Protestants
had arrived in the Colony. Their principal settlements were at Ebenezer,
Bethany, Savannah, Frederica, Goshen, and along the road leading from
Savannah to Ebenezer. They were all characterized by industry, sobriety,
and thrift.
About the year 1744 the Saltzburgers at Ebenezer and along the line of the
public road running from that town to Savannah, through the assistance of
friends in Germany, were enabled to build two comfortable and substantial
houses for public worship,—one at New Ebenezer, called _Jerusalem
Church_, and the other about four miles below, named _Zion Church_.
The joy experienced upon the dedication of these sacred buildings was
soon turned to grief by the death of one of their faithful pastors,—the
Reverend Israel C. Gronau,—who, in the supreme moments of a lingering
fever, desiring a friend to support his hands uplifted in praise of the
Great Master whom he had so long and so truthfully served, exclaimed
“Come, Lord Jesus! Amen!! Amen!!!” and with these words,—the last upon his
lips,—entered into peace.[17]
Reverend Mr. Bolzius continued to be the principal pastor and, as an
assistant, the Reverend Mr. Lembke was associated with him.
As early as January 31, 1732, Sir Thomas Lombe[18] certified to the
Trustees of the Colony that silk produced in Carolina possessed “as
much natural Strength and Beauty as the Silk of Italy.” In his “New and
Accurate Account of the Provinces of South Carolina and Georgia,”[19] Mr.
Oglethorpe enumerated among the chief revenues which might be anticipated
from the settlement of Georgia, profits to arise from the manufacture of
silk. His opinion was that between forty and fifty thousand people might
be advantageously employed in this business. In view of the encouragement
which might reasonably be expected from Parliament, and the cheapness of
the labor and land, he estimated that the cost of production would be at
least twenty-five per cent. lower than that then current in Piedmont.
Sharing in this belief, the Trustees sent to Italy for silk-worm eggs, and
engaged the services of several Piedmontese to go to Georgia and instruct
the Colonists in the production of silk.[20] In the grants of land to
parties emigrating to Georgia either at their own expense or at the charge
of the Charity, may be found covenants on the part of the grantees to
“keep a sufficient number of white mulberry trees standing on every acre,”
or else to “plant them where they were wanted.” A special plea is entered
by Benjamin Martyn in behalf of silk-culture in Georgia and the manifest
benefits to be expected.[21]
The early accounts all agree in representing the production of silk as one
of the most important matters to be considered and fostered in connection
with the establishment and development of the Colony of Georgia.
In 1735, Queen Caroline, upon the King’s birth-day, appeared in a full
robe of Georgia silk; and in 1739 a parcel of raw silk, brought from
Georgia by Samuel Augspourguer, was exhibited at the Trustees’ office
in London to “Mr. John Zachary,—an eminent raw-silk merchant,—and to
Mr. Booth,—one of the greatest silk-weavers in England,”—both of whom
“declared it to be as fine as any Italian silk, and worth at least twenty
shillings a pound.”[22]
With that industry and patience so characteristic of them as a people,
the inhabitants of New Ebenezer were among the earliest and the most
persevering in their efforts to carry into practical operation Mr.
Oglethorpe’s wishes in regard to the production of silk. In 1736 each
Saltzburger there was presented with a mulberry tree, and two of the
congregation were instructed by Mrs. Camuse in the art of reeling.
Under date of May 11th, 1741, Mr. Bolzius, in his journal, records the
fact that within the preceding two months twenty girls succeeded in making
seventeen pounds of cocoons which were sold at Savannah for £3, 8s. The
same year £5 were advanced by General Oglethorpe to this Clergyman for
the purchase of trees. With this sum he procured twelve hundred, and
distributed them among the families of his parish.
On the 4th of December, 1742, five hundred trees were sent by General
Oglethorpe to Ebenezer, with a promise of more should they be needed.
Near Mr. Bolzius’ house a machine for the manufacture of raw-silk was
erected, and the construction of a public Filature was contemplated. Of
the eight hundred and forty-seven pounds of cocoons raised in the Colony
of Georgia in 1747, about one-half was produced by the Saltzburgers at
Ebenezer. Two years afterwards this yield was increased to seven hundred
and sixty-two pounds of cocoons, and fifty pounds thirteen ounces of
spun silk. Two machines were in operation in Mr. Bolzius’ yard, capable
of reeling twenty-four ounces per day. It was apparent, however, that
while, by ordinary labor, about two shillings could be earned, scarcely a
shilling per diem could be expected by one engaged in the manufacture of
silk. This fact proved so discouraging to the Colonists that, except at
Ebenezer, silk culture was generally relinquished. The Germans persevered,
and as the result of their energy, over a thousand pounds of cocoons
and seventy-four pounds, two ounces of raw-silk were raised at Ebenezer
in 1750, and sold for £110 sterling. The community was now pretty well
supplied with copper basins and reeling machines. Considerable effort
was made in England to attract the notice of the Home Government to this
production of silk in Georgia, and to enlist in its behalf fostering
influences at the hands of those in authority. In 1755 a paper was laid
before the Lords of Trade and Plantations, signed by about forty eminent
silk throwsters and weavers, declaring that “having examined about 300 wt.
of Georgia raw-silk they found it as good as the Piedmontese, and better
than the common Italian silks.” Assurance was given that there was the
utmost reason to afford “all possible encouragement for the raising of so
valuable a commodity.”[23]
In 1764 fifteen thousand two hundred and twelve pounds of cocoons were
delivered at the Filature in Savannah, then under the charge of Mr.
Ottolenghe, of which eight thousand six hundred and ninety-five pounds
were contributed by the Saltzburgers. In 1766 the production of silk in
Georgia reached its acme, and from that time, despite the encouragement
extended by Parliament, continued to decline until it was practically
abandoned a few years before the inception of the Revolution. Operations
at the Filature in Savannah were discontinued in 1771; and Sir James
Wright, in his message to the Commons House of Assembly, under date 19th
of January, 1774, alludes to the fact that the Filature buildings were
falling into decay, and suggests that they be put to some other use.
Despite the disinclination existing in other portions of the Colony to
devote much time and labor to the growing of trees and the manufacture
of silk, the Saltzburgers,—incited by their worthy magistrate, Mr.
Wertsch,—redoubled their efforts, and in 1770, as the result of their
industry, shipped two hundred and ninety-one pounds of raw-silk. At the
suggestion of the Earl of Hillsborough, who warmly commended the zeal of
these Germans and interested himself in procuring from Parliament a small
sum to be expended in aid of the more indigent of the community, Mr.
Habersham distributed among them the basins and reels then being in the
unused public Filature in Savannah.
“So popular had the silk business become at Ebenezer that Mr. Habersham,
in a letter dated the 30th of March, 1772, says: ‘Some persons in almost
every family there understand its process from the beginning to the end.’
In 1771 the Germans sent four hundred and thirty-eight pounds of raw silk
to England, and in 1772 four hundred and eighty-five pounds:—all of their
own raising. They made their own reels, which were so much esteemed that
one was sent to England as a model, and another taken to the East Indies
by Pickering Robinson.”[24]
In the face of the distractions encountered upon the commencement of
hostilities between the Colonies and the Mother Country, silk culture
languished even among these Germans, and was never afterwards revived to
any considerable degree. The unfriendliness of climate, the high price
of labor, the withdrawal of all bounty—which had been the chief stimulus
to exertion,—and the larger profits to be derived from the cultivation
of rice and cotton combined to interrupt silk-raising, and, in the end,
caused its total abandonment.
The construction of a bridge over Ebenezer creek materially promoted the
interests and the convenience of those residing at Ebenezer; and the
erection of Churches at Bethany and Goshen,—the former about five miles
northwest of Ebenezer, and the latter some ten miles below and near the
road leading to Savannah,—indicated the growth of the German plantations
along the line of the Savannah river.
The settlement at Bethany was effected in 1751 by John Gerar William
DeBrahm, who there located one hundred and sixty Germans. Eleven months
afterwards these Colonists were joined by an equal number,—“the Relations
and Acquaintance of the former.” The Saltzburgers then numbered about
fifteen hundred souls.[25] Alluding to the location and growth of
these plantations, and the agricultural pursuits of their cultivators,
Surveyor-General DeBrahm says: “The German Settlements have since
Streatched S: Eastwardly about 32 miles N: W-ward from the Sea upon
Savannah Stream, from whence they extend up the same Stream through the
whole Salt Air Zona. They cultivate European and American Grains to
Perfection; as Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats; also Flax, Hemp, Tobacco and
Rice, Indigo, Maize, Peas, Pompions, Melons—they plant Mulberry, Apple,
Peach, Nectorins, Plumbs and Quince Trees, besides all manner of European
Garden Herbs, but, in particular, they Chose the Culture of silk their
principal Object, in which Culture they made such a Progress, that the
Filature, which is erected in the City of Savannah could afford to send
in 1768 to London 1,084 Pounds of raw Silk, equal in Goodness to that
manufactured in Piemont; but the Bounties to encourage that Manufactory
being taken off, they discouraged, dropt their hands from that Culture
from year to year in a manner, that in 1771 its Product was only 290
Pounds in lieu of 1,464, which must have been that year’s Produce, had
this Manufactory been encouraged to increase at a 16 years rate. In lieu
of Silk they have taken under more Consideration the Culture of Maize,
Rice, Indigo, Hemp & Tobacco: But the Vines have not as yet become an
Object of their Attention, altho’ in the Country especially over the
German Settlements, Nature makes all the Promises, yea gives yearly full
Assurances of her Assistance by her own Endeavours producing Clusture
Grapes in Abundance on its uncultivated Vines; yet there is no Person,
who will listen to her Addresses, and give her the least Assistance,
notwithstanding many of the Inhabitants are refreshed from the Sweetness
of her wild Productions. The Culture of Indigo is brought to the same
Perfection here, as in South Carolina, and is manufactured through all the
Settlements from the Sea Coast, to the Extent of the interior Country.”[26]
On the 19th of November, 1765, the Ebenezer congregation was called upon
to mourn the loss of its venerable Spiritual Guide, the Reverend Mr.
Bolzius, who had been at once teacher and magistrate, counsellor and
friend during the thirty years of poverty and privation, labor and sorrow,
hope and joy, passed in the wilds of Georgia. He was interred, amid the
lamentations of his people, in the cemetery near Jerusalem Church, and no
stone marks his grave.
After his demise the conduct of the Society devolved upon Messrs. Lembke
and Rabenhorst. This involved not only the spiritual care of this people,
but also the preservation and proper management of the mill-establishments
and public property belonging to the Ebenezer Congregation. “These
two faithful men,” writes the Reverend P. A. Strobel,[27] “labored
harmoniously and successfully in the discharge of their heavy civil and
religious obligations, and gave entire satisfaction to those with whose
interests they were intrusted.” During their administration the large
brick house of worship, known as Jerusalem Church, was built at Ebenezer.
The materials used in its construction were, for the most part, supplied
by the Saltzburgers, while the funds necessary to defray the cost of
erection were contributed by friends in Germany.
Upon the death of Mr. Lembke, the Reverend Christopher F. Triebner
“was sent over by the reverend fathers in Germany as an adjunct to
Mr. Rabenhorst. Being a young man of talents, but of an impetuous and
ambitious disposition, he soon raised such a tumult in the quiet community
that all the efforts of the famous Mr. Muhlenburg, who was ordered on a
special mission to Ebenezer in 1774 to heal the disturbances which had
arisen, scarce saved the congregation from disintegration. The schism was,
however, finally cured, and peace was restored.” For the better government
of the Society, articles of discipline were prepared by Dr. Muhlenburg,
which were formally subscribed by one hundred and twenty-four male
members. This occurred at Jerusalem Church on the 16th of January, 1775,
and affords substantial evidence of the strength of the congregation.
The property belonging to the Church, according to an inventory made by
Dr. Muhlenburg in 1775, consisted of the following:
“1. In the hands of Pastor Rabenhorst a capital of £300. 16s.
5d.
2. In the hands of John Casper Wertsch, for the store, £300.
3. In the mill treasury, notes and money, £229. 16s. 2d.
4. Pastor Triebner has some money in hands, (£400) the
application of which has not been determined by our Reverend
Fathers.
5. Belonging to the Church is a Negro Boy at Mr. John Flöerl’s,
and a Negro Girl at Mr. David Steiner’s.
6. A town-lot and an out-lot, of which Mr. John Triebner has
the grant in his hands.
7. An inventory of personal goods in the mills belonging to the
estate.
8. And, finally, real estate, with the mills, 925 acres of
land.”
Including certain legacies from private individuals, and donations from
patrons of the Colony in Germany, which were received within a short time,
it is conjectured that this church property was then worth not much less
than twenty thousand dollars.
So long as the congregation at Ebenezer preserved its integrity, direct
allegiance to the parent Church in Germany was acknowledged, its
precepts, orders and deliverances were obeyed, its teachers welcomed and
respected, and accounts of all receipts, disbursements, and important
transactions regularly rendered. Its pastors continued to be charged with
the administration of affairs, both spiritual and temporal, and were the
duly constituted custodians of all church funds and property. Upon their
arrival in Georgia these Saltzburgers, wearied with persecutions and
stripped of the small possessions which were once theirs, were at first
quite dependent upon public and private charity for bare subsistence. They
were then unable, by voluntary contributions, to sustain their pastors and
teachers, and build churches. Foreign aid arrived, however, from time to
time, and this was supplemented in a small, yet generous way, by the labor
of the parishioners and such sums and articles as could be spared from
their slow accumulations. With a view to providing for the future, all
means thus derived were carefully invested for the benefit of church and
pastor. This system was maintained for more than fifty years, so that in
the course of time not only were churches built, but reasonable provision
was made for clergyman, teacher, and orphan, aside from the yearly
voluntary contributions of the members of the Society. The education of
youths was not neglected; and DeBrahm assures us that in his day a library
had been accumulated at Ebenezer in which “could be had Books wrote in
the Caldaic, Hebrew, Arabec, Siriac, Coptic, Malabar, Greek, Latin,
French, German, Dutch and Spanish, beside the English, viz: in thirteen
Languages.”[28]
In the division of the Province of Georgia into eight Parishes, which
occurred on the 15th of March, 1758, “the district of Abercorn and Goshen,
and the district of Ebenezer—extending from the northwest boundaries of
the parish of Christ Church up the river Savannah as far as the Beaver
Dam, and southwest as far as the mouth of Horse-Creek on the river Great
Ogechee”—were declared a Parish under the name of “The Parish of St.
Matthew.”[29] The parish just below, on the line of the Savannah river,
and embracing the town of Savannah, was known as “Christ Church Parish.”
The Parish of St. Matthew, and the upper part of St. Philip lying above
the Canouchee river, were, by the Constitution of Georgia adopted at
Savannah on the 5th of February, 1777, consolidated into a county called
Effingham.[30]
In the opinion of the Reverend Mr. Strobel, to whose valuable sketch of
the Saltzburgers and their descendants we are indebted for much of the
information contained in these pages, Ebenezer attained the height of its
importance about 1774. The population of the town proper was not less than
five hundred, embracing agriculturists, mechanics, and shop-keepers, who
pursued their respective avocations with energy and thrift. Trade with
Savannah and Charleston was carried on by means of sloops and schooners.
In a contemporaneous picture, representing the general appearance of
the town, may be seen two schooners riding at anchor near the Ebenezer
landing.[31]
Although there arose a sharp division of sentiment when the question of
direct opposition to the acts of Parliament was discussed at Ebenezer in
1774, and although quite a number of the inhabitants favored “passive
obedience and non-resistance,” the response of the majority was: “We
have experienced the evils of tyranny in our own land; for the sake
of liberty we have left home, lands, houses, estates, and have taken
refuge in the wilds of Georgia; shall we now submit again to bondage?
No, never.” Among the delegates from the Parish of St. Matthew to the
Provincial Congress which assembled in Savannah on the 4th of July, 1775,
were the following Saltzburgers: John Stirk, John Adam Treutlen, Jacob
Waldhauer, John Flöerl, and Christopher Craemer. Despite the fact that as
a community the Saltzburgers espoused the cause of the Revolutionists, a
considerable faction, headed by Mr. Triebner, maintained an open and a
strenuous adherence to the Crown. Between these parties sprang up an angry
controversy, replete with the bitterest feelings, and very prejudicial
to the peace and prosperity of the congregation. In the midst of the
discussion the Reverend Mr. Rabenhorst, who exerted his utmost influence
to curb the dominant passions and inculcate mutual forbearance, crowned
his long and useful life with a saintly death.
Three days after the capture of Savannah by Colonel Campbell, a strong
force was advanced, under the command of Lieut. Col. Maitland, to Cherokee
Hill. The following day [January 2, 1779,] Ebenezer was occupied by the
British troops. Upon their arrival they threw up a redoubt within a
few hundred yards of Jerusalem Church and fortified the position.[32]
The remains of this work are said to be still visible. The moment he
learned that Savannah had fallen before Colonel Campbell’s column, Mr.
Triebner hastened to that place, proclaimed his loyalty, and took the
oath of allegiance. The intimation is that he counselled the immediate
occupation of Ebenezer, and in person accompanied the detachment which
compassed the capture of his own town and people. He was a violent,
uncompromising man,—at all times intent upon the success of his peculiar
views and wishes. Influenced by his advice and example, not a few of
the Saltzburgers subscribed oaths of allegiance to the British Crown,
and received certificates guaranteeing Royal protection to person and
property. Prominent among those who maintained their adherence to the
Rebel cause were Governor John Adam Trentlen, William Holsendorf, Colonel
John Stirk, Secretary Samuel Stirk, John Schnider, Rudolph Strohaker,
Jonathan Schnider, J. Gotlieb Schnider, Jonathan Rahn, Ernest Zittrauer,
and Joshua and Jacob Helfenstein.
“The citizens at Ebenezer and the surrounding country,” says Mr. Strobel,
“were made to feel very severely the effects of the war. The property
of those who did not take the oath of allegiance was confiscated, and
they were constantly exposed to every species of insult and wrong from a
hired and profligate soldiery. Besides this, some of the Saltzburgers who
espoused the cause of the Crown became very inveterate in their hostility
to the Whigs in the settlement, and pillaged and then burnt their
dwellings. The residence on the farm of the pious Rabenhorst was among the
first given to the flames. Among those who distinguished themselves for
their cruelty was one Eichel,—who has been properly termed an ‘inhuman
miscreant,’—whose residence was at Goshen, and Martin Dasher, who kept a
public house five miles below Ebenezer. These men placed themselves at the
head of marauding parties, composed of British and Tories, and laid waste
every plantation or farm whose occupant was even suspected of favoring
the Republican cause. In these predatory excursions the most revolting
cruelty and unbridled licentiousness were indulged, and the whole country
was overrun and devastated.... The Salzburgers, nevertheless, were to
experience great annoyances from other sources.... A line of British posts
had been established all along the western bank of the Savannah river to
check the demonstrations of the Rebel forces in Carolina. Under these
circumstances, Ebenezer, from its somewhat central position, became a kind
of thoroughfare for the British troops in passing through the country
from Augusta to Savannah. To the inhabitants of Ebenezer, particularly,
this was a source of perpetual annoyance. British troops were constantly
quartered among them, and to avoid the rudeness of the soldiers and the
heavy tax upon their resources, many of the best citizens were forced to
abandon their homes and settle in the country, thus leaving their houses
to the mercy of their cruel invaders.
“Besides all this, they were forced to witness almost daily acts of
cruelty practised by the British and Tories toward those Americans who
happened to fall into their hands as prisoners of war; for it will be
remembered that Ebenezer, while in the hands of the British, was the point
to which all prisoners taken in the surrounding country were brought and
from thence sent to Savannah. It was from this post that the prisoners
were carried who were rescued by Sergeant Jasper and his comrade, Newton,
at the Jasper Spring, a few miles above Savannah.